Chronograph mechanisms are varied and are well known by those skilled in the art. There are two main types, depending on whether the control mobile is a column wheel or a cam. One can in particular refer to the work “Théorie de l'horlogerie” by Reymondin et al, Fédération des Ecoles Techniques, 1998, ISBN 2-940025-10-X, pages 225 to 252, to find details on these mechanisms.
Conventionally, the functions of the chronograph mechanism are activated using two push-pieces, acting on the control mobile, at a driving member. In chronographs with column wheels, the driving member is a toothed plate. In a cam chronograph, there are two shuttles that make up the cam. The shuttles form both the control member and the driving member. Indeed, one of the push-pieces acts on one of the shuttles so that its movement activates the start and stop functions, and the other of the push-pieces acts on the other one of the shuttles so that its movement activates the reset function.
Also known are single push-piece chronographs, in which all of the functions are performed, as the name indicates, by a single push-piece. The latter part acts in translation on a column wheel, the control member of which is adapted to control all of the functions. Elegantly, this push-piece is generally housed in a control arbor and protrudes from the crown situated at the end of the arbor. The latter performs, conventionally, the setting and winding functions of the movement, independently of the chronograph. The winding is done in position 0 of the control arbor, i.e. when the latter is in its proximal position relative to the movement, and the setting is done in position 1 of the control arbor, i.e. in a more remote position of the arbor relative to the movement.
It can be noted that in both types of chronograph, bulky levers with sometimes complex forms are inserted between the push-pieces and the driving member of the control member.
The present invention aims to propose a particularly original alternative to activate the functions of a chronograph mechanism and avoiding the aforementioned drawbacks.